Alexander the Great (1956)
Director: Robert Rossen
Starring: Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom, Danielle Darricus, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing, Michael Hordern, Helmut Dantine
Pretty good movie about Alexander the Great and his many conquests.
Historical Background:
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
The rivalry between Sparta and Athens dominated the late 5th century B.C. and exhausted much of the resources of the Greek city states. The created a vacuum into which stepped the Balkan kingdom of Macedon.
Macedonia is the southern part of today's Yugoslavia and the northeastern section of Greece. Albania is to the west and Bulgaria is to the east and northeast.
356 BC -- Alexander born at Pella in Macedonia to Philip II of Macedon, a brilliant ruler, and Olympias, princess of Epirus, daughter of King Neoptolemus.
344 -- at age twelve, he tames the famous wild horse Bucephalus.
His first teacher was Leonidas, who was later replaced with Lysimachus, who taught Prince Alexander to play the lyre, and to appreciate the arts.
343 -- Alexander from age 13 to 16, together with the other boys belonging to the Macedonian aristocracy, is taught by Aristotle.
340 -- While Philip was away on an expedition against Byzantium, Alexander at age 16 manages to subjugate the rebellious Maedi, a Thracian tribe.
338 -- At the battle of Chaeronea Philip defeats the allied Greek states of the Sacred Band of Thebes. At age 18 Alexander performs marvelously in command of the left wing of Philip's cavalry. Sparta remains the only Greek state not under Macedonian control.
338 -- Artaxerxes III of Persia dies; brief reign by Arses; then Darius II, a weak replacement.
337 -- Philip divorces Olympias. Alexander and his mother leave Macedonia. They reconcile several months later.
336 -- Philip declares war on Persia. He prepares a campaign to liberate the Greek coastal cities, but he is assassinated before he can depart by his officer Pausanias. 20 year-old Alexander becomes the new king of Macedon and immediately executes all alleged to be behind Philip's murder along with all possible rivals.
Alexander pacifies Thessaly and is proclaimed the supreme commander of all Greeks for the expected invasion of the Persian Empire. Blitz campaigns against the Triballiand Ilyrians, which takes him across the Danube.
335 -- marches into Thrace and crushes the Triballi, crosses the Danube to subjugate the Getae and Celtic tribes and shatters a coalition of Illyrians who had invaded Macedonia. Returns and crushes the rebellious Thebans.
334 -- at the Battle of Granicus he defeats his first Persian army. This freed the conquered Greek city states. Alexander takes the city of Miletus. In Caria, he destroys Halicarnassus.
334-333, winter -- Alexander conquers western part of Asia Minor
333 -- at Gordium in Phrygia, tradition records his cutting of the Gordian knot, which could only be loosed by the man who was to rule Asia. Wins the Battle of Issus against Darius II and demands unconditional surrender of his enemy.
332 -- the storming of Tyre, his greatest military achievement; massacre the men and sells the women and children into slavery.
332 -- Egyptians welcome him as their liberator from the Persians. He founds the city of Alexandria.
331 -- prepares to advance into Mesopotamia, toward Babylon. Darius sends his general Mazaeus who marches up the Tigris to stop Alexander. The Battle of Gaugamela opens up Babylon to Alexander, who is now Lord of Asia.
330 -- Alexander marches north into Media and occupies its capital Ecbatana. Meanwhile, he comes to the idea of the Macedonians and Persians ruling together, but this was to create problems between Alexander and Macedonians.
330 Alexander chases Darius for 12 days. Darius had moved to Bactria, to Bessus - the satrap of Bactria. Bessus stages a coup d'etat and imprisons Darius and the usurper Bessus stabs king Darius III leaving him to die in agony. Alexander later captures Bessus and has him executed.
328 -- Alexander murders one of his most trusted commanders which further drives a wedge between Alexander and many Macedonians. Marches towards India through Afghanistan; defeats Oxyartes, who becomes friends with Alexander. Alexander marries his sister Roxanne.
327 -- crosses into India.
326 -- Alexander wins his last great battle on the left bank of the Hydaspes against Porus, one of the most powerful Indian kings. Porus becomes his friend and ally.
Alexander wanted to reach the Ganges River, but his exhausted troops would not go any farther. So he turns back.
326-324 -- over a third of his governors ( i.e. satraps) are replaced and six are executed.
325 -- Alexander controls both arms of the Indus River.
324 -- back in Susa, administrative center of the Persian Empire, where Alexander and 80 of his officers and 10,000 Macedonian soldiers take Persian wives. This action really maddens the folks back home in Macedonia.
324 -- confrontation time; at Opis Alexander's decision to send home Macedonian veterans under Craterus was interpreted as a move toward transferring the seat of power to Asia; open insurrection; Alexander discharges his whole army and enrolls Persians instead; opposition over, followed by reconciliation.
Suddenly, in Babylon, Alexander becomes ill after drinking way too much unmixed wine. Soon afterwards he dies. No heir had been appointed.
Eventually Alexander's generals parcel out the empire:
Ptolemy Lagus, Alexander's half bother (Egypt and Palestine);
Seleucus Nicator (Mesopotamia and Syria);
Cassander (Macedonia and Greece);
Antigonus (Asia Minor); and
Lysimachus (Thrace).
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